Shoulder training can be anything you want it to be. It can be slow and basic. It can be fast and complex. You can over-think things, working to stimulate individual muscle fibers. You can overwork the muscle group, using repeated supersets when they really aren’t all that necessary for stimulating growth. You can pyramid, drop-set, and slow-mo your way into training mediocrity. Or you can go about a more traditional, non-exciting way of training.
One tried-and-true way to train shoulders always works, no matter what you level of training experience or ability: Keeping it simple. Train heavy using free weights. Moderate rest times, a fair amount of sets, and above all, avoiding the fancy stuff, can lead to growth when all of the ‘flavor of the week’ routines have fallen by the wayside. Here are some tips for taking your shoulder training back to the basics.
Start by using heavy weights. What weight is considered ‘heavy’ will vary from person to person. Eight-time Mr. Olympia winner Ronnie Coleman warms up with far more weight than some people who have been in the gym for a decade will ever use. A heavy weight is one that you can move 6 to 10 times, with about 8 being the ideal range. You want to train heavy if you want to instill muscle growth – especially in an area such as the shoulders where going too heavy can result in sudden and very serious injury.
Plan on using five total sets for all shoulder movements. This will include 1-2 warm-up sets, then 3-4 actual ‘work’ sets. Any more than five, and you’re flirting with that nasty overtraining bug. Hit all of the muscle group areas, but don’t go crazy. You know you want to use two movements for front deltoids, every time. You should use 1-2 exercises for side deltoids. And of course, 2 exercises for rear deltoids. Your traps should also receive two movements (or six exercises of a single movement). Going beyond this means you’re overtaxing your body and dipping into your very valuable recovery resources.
Do your best to avoid injury. Always warm up the shoulders by rotating a 5-pound plate or light dumbbell for several minutes. Conduct a rotator cuff workout once per week to keep that area of the joint strong and completely developed. Never use a vertical bench on dumbbell and barbell pressing movements. Always opt for a very high incline angle. Above all, use common sense. Train heavily enough that you work harder than you ever have, but always keep the weight under control!
Remember that the cable and machine isolation movements do have a place in total shoulder development. You’ll want to use them down the line when you’ve built up a decent level of shoulder mass and you’re looking to etch in some new definition and shape. But even when you attain a higher level of mass, you’ll need to stick with the heavy basic movements in order to keep this muscle. Without steady use of heavy, basic lifting, your shoulders will return to their previous state.